Wine Lifestyle On a Beer Budget

Wine cellar alternatives bring class to the masses

Wine continues to flow into the design tastes of many home buyers. So, it’s not surprising that architects in America’s wine Mecca of Northern California are using new, simple design ideas to help home buyers enjoy and share their favorite beverage.

“Many people who love wine want to make a statement about their interest,” said architect John Lail who has worked in the Napa Valley area since the 1960s. While his St. Helena, Calif. firm, Lail Design Group, has created numerous high-end residential wine caves, Lail has also discovered many affordable ways to give clients elements of the wine lifestyle.

One of the simplest techniques is to use clay terra cotta pipes set in mortar to openly display bottles that will be used soon. A small stack of tiles can be placed on a countertop or set in a wooden frame for a striking accent to kitchen counter-top or family room wet bar area. “It’s very affordable and conveys an old-world feeling,” said Lail. “The tiles only cost about a dollar each, so they are perfect for making a small display.”

The impact can be even bigger if the tiles are recessed into a wall. The added insulation provided by the wall can help the terra cotta maintain a consistent temperature. The tiles are also reminiscent of wine caves where bottles are placed in earthen walls for natural chilling.

Sonoma, Calif. architect Daniel Nichols created what he calls a “mini-version” of a commercial wine wall for a residential client by thickening a three-foot-long section of wall between a garage and a dining room to create three niches that hold eight bottles of wine each. “Most wine that is ready for drinking is stored under cabinets. By placing the bottles closer to eye level, it makes them more like pieces of art, something interesting for people to see,” said Nichols. “It’s simple and low tech, but an effective way of displaying the bottles you will drink in the next six months,” said Nichols.

Moving up another notch, a wine closet with glass doors creates an affordable and striking way to show off an aficionado’s love of wine. “You can create a visual wine cellar by simply putting double-pane, glass French doors on a 12 or 24 inch deep closet,” said Tom Taylor, a principal architect with Taylor Lombardo with offices in San Francisco and Napa Valley. “The doors cost a couple hundred dollars and if you want to add a wine chiller that costs $400 or $500, it is a very affordable way to make a big impact,” said Lombardo. If a chilling unit will be included, Lombardo suggests that you have access to an exterior wall for venting. However, simply placing the closet on a north wall can be enough temperature control in some regions.

A smaller wine vault with custom glass doors can even be created at eye level to generate interest in very special bottles. “If possible, placing the closet behind the head of a formal dining room table adds to the visual impact,” said Lail.

Lombardo likes to use cork floors in his wine closets, not because it is traditional in wineries, but because it contributes to the idea of a wine lifestyle. He even sprinkles wine on the cork floor so that it emits the fragrance he so loves.


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